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More screens for Taiko's Drum Master sequel
Famitsu has dished out the goods in the way of some fresh screens for upcoming Taiko Drum Master: 7 Islands' Adventure for the DS. Like the first Taiko Drum Master game, there isn't any plan to bring it to the United States. And, considering it's just about the same game as the first title, you can bet we're incredibly upset that we're not getting it. Sure, we can import, but we don't have tons of money to do that.Any of you going to import the game?
Taiko DS can't handle clothed drums
There are few things freakier than dressing a musical instrument in clothes, and Taiko no Tatsujin DS Touch de Dokodon instinctively knows this. That's why the game rejects this activity.Either that or, you know, it's just a bug. Apparently the game has a problem in which you cannot continue playing after you attempt to change costumes in all three save slots. Bandai Namco is correcting the issue, and will have new copies of the game out soon. We would suggest holding off on importing until then, obviously.Is the DS really hard to program for or something? It seems like we've had a disproportionately high number of game-breaking bugs. Well, this makes three that we can count, but that still seems high.
DS releases for the week of July 23rd
This week sees the release of some interesting titles around the world, such as the latest in Pokémon for Europe, and Taiko Drum Master DS in Japan. American gamers get to contend with Dynasty Warriors DS. We know some of you are looking forward to it, and some ... well, aren't. But maybe it will surprise us! Chameleon: To Dye For! Dynasty Warriors DS: Fighter's Battle Ultimate Puzzle Games: Sudoku Edition Slide past the break to see what's happening in the rest of the world.
First Taiko Drum Master DS commercial
Sure, we've had plenty of screens from the game to look over, but footage has been few and far between. Well, thanks to YouTube, we get our first glimpse of the game, courtesy of a Japanese commercial. And, as with all Japanese commercials, its fairly short and completely ridiculous.Check the video past the post break.
Taiko no Tatsujin DS boxart
Releasing on the 26th of next month in Japan, Taiko no Tatsujin DS (Taiko Drum Master) finally reveals its box art. Of course, if we weren't so interested in music-based games, we probably wouldn't have already known about the dual-stylus gameplay (the extra stylus is included in the package). We're dying to import this game ourselves, to tell the truth, but what about you? Any readers plan on having this shipped over from the land of the rising fun?
Checking in with Taiko Drum Master
With machine translation being the bane of our existence, we can't provide much information of the new variety regarding Taiko Drum Master. It's still a game we very much need to have and it looks like once we have it, we'll be about the most happy of all the campers. Until that day though, we'll all have to suffer through the complexities of machine language translation and the love/hate relationship of gawking at screens.See also: Friday video: Masters of drums
Drum Master DS to rock Japan this Summer
You've heard it was coming, took a gander at some screens and even seen some video of it in action. So, you're probably wondering just when you'll be able to get your hands on the game, right? Well, Japan will be receiving it this Summer, but for everyone else, that's still undetermined. Hopefully, we'll get it sometime this year also.Of course, Europe will probably get it in 2010 (sorry, guys).
Keep up the neighbours with four player Drum Master
Namco Bandai have announced that Taiko: Drum Master will feature a four player mode in its forthcoming DS incarnation. Previously popular in the arcades and on PS2, the rhythm action title is based on Taiko, the Japanese drum. The game will support download play from one cart, so maybe you'll want to start persuading a friend to head down to your local import shop. Players can drum along to a variety of musical styles, ranging from Jpop to classical via the theme from Super Mario Brothers. You'll also be able to customise your drum with a selection of cute costumes. With this due out in summer, and Ouendan 2 on its way soon, it looks like rhythm action fans are in for a treat over the coming weeks.Screens after the break.
Friday Video: Masters of drums
Since Taiko Drum Master was announced this week for the DS, and we also happen to be a little fond of rhythm games, we thought we'd bring you another pair of videos dedicated to getting your drum on. The first makes us yearn for arcades, because there's nothing like huge drums or motorcycles and steering wheels to really get you in the game. We also want that guy's skill, because he really knows how to rock out. The video was originally posted to Chris Kohler's Game|Life blog, so you've probably seen it before, but we felt it was a good finisher for the week. The second shows off a Taiko Drum Master mini-game featured in Nodame Cantabile, which was recently released in Japan.
Taiko Drum Master headed to DS
Poor Sony. First we stole Crash Bandicoot, and now it's Taiko Drum Master, which previously appeared (outside of the arcade) on the PS2. But the move only makes sense, for a number of reasons; in 2004, the PS2 was on top. Now it's the DS, and publishers can't fit their popular properties on the dual-screened handheld quickly enough. Second of all ... it's a rhythm game, and as we've seen, there's really no better platform for rhythm games. Namco Bandai is trying to be all secretive about the controls, but let's see ... rhythm game ... DS ... anyone out there have any idea how this might work? If you said "touch screen," you're probably correct. If you said something else, like "donkey face" or "mudpie," you might want to check for, uh, insanity. Or something.Game|Life's Chris Kohler has a translation of the partial songlist from the Japanese version (including the Mario theme!), which is set for this summer. There are also a couple of scans, and you can check those out after the jump.
Ask PSP Fanboy: Volume 2
Every Saturday, PSP Fanboy will answer your burning questions. If you have a question for the team, send an e-mail to andrew @ pspfanboy.com with the subject "Ask PSP Fanboy." The opinions stated in this article are those of the author, and do not represent the views of Weblogs Inc or AOL. Q: I noticed you are more free to speak of mods/hacks/homebrews lately. Do you have restrictions on what you can and can't say? If not, are you finally being more open now realizing that Sony has recently been putting the customer last? Andrew says: We do mention homebrew once in a while on the site, because it is newsworthy, and important in the PSP scene. However, we don't focus on it because our target audience doesn't use homebrew. We're one of the few (if not the only) fan sites out there that want to focus on getting the most out of your PSP through Sony-sanctioned firmware. My personal belief is that although Sony may not make the best decisions, that doesn't give us the right to promote software piracy. Yes, many will argue that homebrew isn't about that (I too have one PSP that runs 3.03OE-B). However, piracy is a large and active part of the homebrew scene--and it's something I avoid wholeheartedly. Any PSP "fan" that downloads ISOs and emulators should understand that they're simply hurting our beloved console, and industry as a whole. See more questions after the break.
Happy crazy rhythm game music day
Here at video game music day, we try to bring you examples of great video game music performed on real life instruments. This week we're turning things upside-down and bringing you some great real life music performed on video games. Why? Because we're just that crazy. Also we couldn't think of anything else to do. Please enjoy these seemingly superhuman performances on Taiko Drum Master, BeatMania and Pop N Music.
The top handheld imports
DS Fanboy discovered a great list of the top 10 handheld imports from Modojo. While the list features many DS and GBA games, the PSP also shows up a surprising number of times.10. Tokimeki Memorial: Forever With YouPart of the huge dating game sim genre in Japan, this game has you trying to improve your sex appeal. If you're good enough, you might get lucky. Don't expect any naughty bits in this game though. That's for some other games.7. Taiko no Tatsujin PortableTaiko Drum Master was released on the PS2 to some fanfare, and the PSP version is essentially a remake... without the drums. While it seems like a lot of the appeal disappears without Drumcon, the soundtrack's happy J-Pop and Katamari Damacy tunes make this a hit for importers.2. DJ Max PortableCalled "the single best game on the PSP" by the folks at Modojo, and for good reason too. Essentially Beatmania squeezed into handheld form, the game has you furiously mashing the PSP's buttons to the beat of the music. Harder difficulties apparently make you seem "less of a man." Wow.Of course, these kind of lists require some kind of fanfare. See a video of DJ Max Portable after the cut.
Brain Training used to defeat dementia
According to a BBC report, Nintendo's hugely popular Brain Training titles are invading Japanese classrooms in an effort to help the older population get their minds in motion and running swiftly from encroaching dementia. How effective Dr. Kawashima's unnervingly polite floating head is at preventing or combating the condition (of which hallucination is a symptom) still hasn't been conclusively established, but for some people, keeping their minds active is enough.After demonstrating how to turn on the Nintendo DS and how to insert a game cartridge, the teacher has his elderly students engage in several different activities, not all of which are limited to Brain Training's repertoire of challenges. A golf game is used to train hand-eye coordination which, thanks to the DS' intuitive control scheme, seems to be quite easy to grasp. "It's not difficult to learn how to play them," says Atsuo Umetsu, one of the teachers. "After all I learnt, so everyone can do it." Though one of the students admits that she joined the class in order to better compete with her gamer sons, most are joining in the hopes of doing everything they can to avoid mental problems in a society where a large percentage of the population is older. Dr. Takao Suzuki, an expert when it comes to elderly affairs, points out that "nobody wants to get dementia so even if there is a very small possibility that it might work, most elderly people will want to do something in order to prevent dementia." And it's not just Nintendo that's reaching out to an older generation -- Namco has set up a day-care center allowing older people to bash drums and clobber cartoon crocodiles to their heart's content. Is this the key to defeating dementia? We don't know, but it sure sounds like fun, doesn't it?[Thanks Jon!]
RedOctane CEO: More music games coming
In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, RedOctane CEO Kelly Sumner revealed that the company's "got other products in development" in the music genre.The former Take Two Interactive Europe CEO's statement that he "can't tell you what [these other products] are and when they're coming" would lead us to believe he's not talking about the Guitar Hero sequels (sorta like song expansion packs) already announced.A rhythm line-up to rival Konami's Bemani brand, perhaps? This blogger would love something to take advantage of the RedOctane drum peripherals created for Namco's Taiko Drum Master, and it wouldn't be too hard for Harmonix to work up a karaoke game considering their work on Karaoke Revolution (unless licensing prevents it). Whatever the case, fans of music gaming would love to see what Sumner's got up his sleeve.[Thanks, murph]See also: Guitar Hero readies for European tour A whole range of Guitar Heroes to be available A postmortem on Accordion Hero (with a little info on Guitar Hero, too) RedOctane Guitar Hero Specialty Store [where'd the cherry SG go?!]
